Anaheim, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani plans to be a pitcher and a hitter in his first All-Star Game next week, his Los Angeles Angels manager says.
Joe Maddon said Monday that he has spoken with AL manager Kevin Cash and given his encouragement to showcase all of the Japanese sensation’s two-way skills on July 13 at Coors Field. Maddon says Ohtani wants to play both ways in Denver, and Cash is on board with the plan.
The current Tampa Bay manager just hasn’t figured out when Ohtani will pitch, according to the former Rays skipper.
“The conclusion is that he will pitch, but how it’s going to happen has not been concluded,” Maddon said. “There’s different ways to do it, obviously. He could start the game, or come in game-in-progress.”
Last weekend, Ohtani — who leads the majors in homers — became the first player in major league history to be selected for an All-Star Game as both a hitter and a pitcher. The fans elected him to the game at the plate, and he received the honor as a pitcher in the final team announcement on Sunday.
The only remaining questions are about the logistics of Ohtani’s evening in Colorado, but Maddon believes they can sort it out — even if it required Major League Baseball to tweak its rules slightly in order to give Ohtani enough time to get ready to play both ways.
Ohtani could start on the mound for the AL, which would allow him to contribute both ways immediately as the pitcher and the designated hitter.
But if the AL team elects to start another worthy pitcher, Ohtani could start as the designated hitter before moving to the mound later in the game if he had enough time to warm up — or perhaps he could do both as a reserve.
“How often do you hit him?” Maddon asked. “And don’t forget he’ll be in the Home Run Derby the day before. There’s a lot going on there. But Shohei is into it. It’s not like we’re trying to push him into doing anything. We’re just trying to figure out the best way to do it.”
The Angels aren’t worried about overworking Ohtani, who turned 27 on Monday when the Angels hosted the AL-leading Boston Red Sox.
Ohtani’s final mound start before the All-Star game will be Tuesday night, which means his arm will have a full week of rest before he pitches in Colorado.
Ohtani has batted for himself in nine of his 12 mound starts this season, but the decision left the Angels with a short bench after his departure due to the requirement to give up the designated hitter in AL games when a pitcher hits for himself.
More of Monday’s MLB
► Dodgers’ Roberts not expecting Bauer back after 7-day leave
Miami — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expects pitcher Trevor Bauer to be out beyond the seven-day administrative leave imposed by Major League Baseball slated to end Friday.
Bauer was placed on leave last Friday, three days after an allegation of assault was made by a woman against him. MLB and police are investigating the incident.
The administrative leave — during which a player is paid but cannot play — has been extended for players under the policy in the past.
Roberts expressed doubts about Bauer returning as soon as Friday before the Dodgers opened a four-game series against the Miami Marlins on Monday.
The leave was imposed under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy adopted by MLB and the players’ union in 2015 and can be the initial step leading to a longer suspension.
A protection order against Bauer was obtained under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act and was the result of an assault by him that left the woman who sought the order with “severe physical and emotional pain,” Marc Garelick, the woman’s attorney, said last week.
The protection order includes multiple graphic images from the woman who filed the request, according to The Athletic. The woman, in the 67-page ex-parte document, said Bauer assaulted her on two different occasions. Together, the woman said those two incidents included Bauer punching her in the face and body, sticking his fingers down her throat, and strangling her to the point where she lost consciousness multiple times, according to the document.
The alleged assaults described by the woman happened during what she said began as consensual sexual encounters between the two. According to the woman’s declaration attached to the request and obtained by The Athletic, she suffered injuries as a result of the second encounter, including two black eyes, a bloodied swollen lip, significant bruising and scratching to one side of her face.
Bauer’s agents John Fetterolf and Rachel Luba have denied the accuser’s allegations.
The 30-year-old Bauer joined his hometown Dodgers this year with a $102 million, three-year contract. He is 8-5 with a 2.59 ERA. Bauer made his last start on June 28, when he pitched six innings and defeated the San Francisco Giants 3-2.
► Marlins’ Sixto Sánchez needs surgery, will miss season
Miami — Miami Marlins rookie right-hander Sixto Sánchez will miss the rest of the season after an MRI revealed a small tear in the posterior capsule of his throwing shoulder.
He will undergo arthroscopic surgery.
Expected to be one of the mainstays in the club’s starting rotation, Sánchez has been sidelined all season because of shoulder soreness. Sánchez recently experienced a setback while increasing velocity in a throwing program.
The 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic and top prospect in the Marlins’ system made seven starts last season and finished 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA.
“Obviously, awful news starting with him and for us as an organization,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said before Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I know we’d like to take the conservative route and hope we wouldn’t get to this but obviously we have.”